Entertainment: Pair of pops concerts coming to Sequim, PA

"The Lord of the Rings" movies contained some rich music — as did the musical "My Fair Lady," for that matter. So believes Jonathan Pasternack, conductor and music director of the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra, about to present its annual Pops & Picnic concerts.

September 28, 2016 1:33 am
Violinist Lauren Rankin will perform with the Port Angeles Symphony in the annual Pops & Picnic concerts this Friday
Violinist Lauren Rankin will perform with the Port Angeles Symphony in the annual Pops & Picnic concerts this Friday

“The Lord of the Rings” movies contained some rich music — as did the musical “My Fair Lady,” for that matter. So believes Jonathan Pasternack, conductor and music director of the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra, about to present its annual Pops & Picnic concerts.

A pops concert is a chance to stir together music from the cinema and the stage — plus lighthearted classics from the great masters, as in Mozart, Brahms and Debussy. Pasternack and his 65-member orchestra will serve it all up in two performances:

• The Sequim Boys & Girls Club, 400 W. Fir St., Sequim, at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30,

• The Vern Burton Community Center, 308 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles, at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1.

Concert-goers are invited to bring a picnic supper to enjoy at cabaret-style tables, while the symphony provides the soft drinks, the popcorn, the dessert and the music.

Tickets to either evening are $20 for adults and $5 for youth 16 and under, with proceeds to benefit the 84-year-old community orchestra.

Pasternack, for his part, calls Pops & Picnic a joyful celebration of popular and classical music, with its “My Fair Lady” medley, its selections from “The Lord of the Rings” — and its traditional classics.

“We’re going to preview some of the composers in the coming season, with shorter works such as Brahms’ Hungarian Dances, Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances, two pieces from Aaron Copland’s ‘Rodeo,’ and works by Mozart and Debussy. We’ll play a bit of patriotic music, such as ‘America the Beautiful’ and a Sousa march,” the maestro promised.

The Sequim Pops & Picnic also features a guest conductor — Marsha Melnick of Sequim. Last March at the symphony’s annual Applause! Auction, Melnick bid on the opportunity to lead the orchestra and as the winner she will conduct the overture to Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro.”

To cap the concerts with a taste of opera, local singers Joel Yelland and Robin Reed will offer a duet from Bizet’s “The Pearl Fishers.”

“Pops is not only a great kickoff to our season. It’s also an opportunity to enjoy music and community together,” said Pasternack.

For tickets and information, contact the symphony at 457-5579 or PASymphony@olypen.com.

Find more about the orchestra and its season of concerts at www.PortAngelesSymphony.org.